Addressing the challenge issue....this is something the Marines have done well for many years now, and they don't have trouble meeting recruiting goals. We've lost some cadets to the Corps, and it has been due to the challenge factor. The AF promotes itself as a job with security and benefits...the kids we lose (and they've been good ones) wanted something more.

With Gen Y, you need to push service to something bigger than yourself more than travel. Many of these kids have already been places, and that hook just doesn't catch 'em. The trust issue is a major factor for these kids. They aren't as jaded as us Xers, but it's still an issue for them. Some of them are surprisingly idealistic, and shattering their trust will make them head the other way faster than you can blink.

One area that's really hurt the AF recently has been the horrible problems in some of the areas of JAG. It may not seem like much to those currently in, but it gets commented on a great deal (and negatively) by our cadets. They really don't like hearing one thing and then seeing something else. Lip service to core values will be smelled out quickly by this group, and they'll find somewhere else to go in a hurry.

With academe, you'll have to catch current undergrads and convince them to defy the ideology of their instructors. It's only going to get worse as the military starts looking for history majors, modern language majors, and others from the social sciences (to meet the demands of any COIN strategy you'll need those kids). You're going after the ideological strongholds of the '60s generation there, and they won't surrender easily.